Quick Maple-Dijon Salmon

So I’m slightly embarrassed to disclose that my kid has a maple syrup fetish. Is that weird? If a stranger asks for her name, she almost always responds with “Maple Syrup”. When her teacher asks her what she did over the weekend, her usual response? You got it—“Maple Syrup”. This is a real thing.

Kiwi and I have tried to make sense of this, but we haven’t come up with much.

Perhaps the best explanation is that *I* have a maple syrup fetish, and it has rubbed off on my three year old. *Fetish* is maybe too strong a word, but I will admit that I am at least mildly—and probably closer to moderately—obsessed with the stuff. The last time my mom visited my house, she actually remarked on the maple syrup supply in my basement: “Well at least you won’t run out of maple syrup anytime in the next century!”

I’m Canadian, ok, so cut me a little slack. And there was a great sale at Costco, which is always sooooo hard to resist. But I also use maple syrup as my sweetener of choice, in just about all my muffins, granola, pancakes, waffles and oatmeal.

And in my salmon, apparently.

This Maple-Dijon Salmon is a go-to weeknight meal around here. I keep a big bag of frozen wild salmon filets in my freezer (thanks again go to the big C), and usually pull them out at about 5 p.m. on a Wednesday when the kids are whining for dinner and I am out of fresh ideas. Salmon has the double benefit of being super healthy (lean protein, bursting with good fats, and all that jazz) AND quick-cooking, which makes it a real weeknight winner. Dousing it with a sweet sticky maple sauce may do nothing for salmon’s health attributes, but does lots for its kid-appeal, fetish or not.

I like to serve this salmon with rice or quinoa and lots of roasted, steamed or sauteed veggies. These days my whole family is going gaga for delicata squash and wild rice, so that’s what I’ve pictured here. Steamed broccoli, roasted cauliflower, mashed sweet potatoes, sauteed greens and a big salad are also good veg options.

One of these days I will write up a post on the various and best salmon options out there, but until then I will say it’s best to get wild (being a westcoast girl, I’m partial to sockeye) if that is an option. Fresh is always great, but if you are land-locked as we are, frozen might actually be “fresher.” Not to mention more convenient.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Place the salmon skin-side down on the baking sheet, and use a fork to poke little holes over each filet.

Whisk the maple syrup, garlic, dijon mustard and vinegar in a small bowl, and spread it over the salmon, doing your best to get the sauce into the holes that you poked in the last step.

Let the marinated salmon stand for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the dinner, and then pop it into the oven for about 10 minutes or so, or until the salmon is just cooked through. The worst thing you can do to wild salmon is overcook it (yuck!) so set a timer or watch your oven carefully.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Notes

You can let the salmon stand in the marinade for as much time as you have. If you have time to let it marinate in the fridge overnight (just throw the whole lot into a ziploc bag and seal tightly), amazing, but I usually only have enough time to let it stand while I cook some rice and chop up veggies for a salad, and that's ok too.

And exactly what be wrong with a maple syrup fetish I ask of you? 😉 I could probably drink that stuff straight. Love this recipe, btw, we always have salmon in the freezer, so this would be perfect for a simple, easy supper. Yum!

Love this! Raya is a huge fan of MS and, apparently, dijon mustard. She loves the stuff and lately requests a plop of it on her plate at almost every meal, into which she likes to “dip” whatever she’s eating. I think this recipe will be what it takes to get her back into salmon. Merci!! Oh, and she has a fetish too, although it’s not food, it’s Brian May (the guitarist of the band Queen). I have actually heard her say to my mom, “I no love you, I love Brian.” I don’t think you’re the one who needs to be embarrassed 🙂